Hello and welcome to the new National Parks blog on RV.net!
My plan for this blog is to discuss national parks, state/provincial parks, and any large municipal parks that may be of interest to RVers in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. In each post, I’ll choose one park and go over the park highlights (natural features, recreation opportunities, history, etc.), park hours and fees, as well as campsite information and general driving directions. I’ll post new state/provincial park reviews every Monday and national park reviews every Saturday.
Since I haven’t been to every park in North America, I’d like to get comments from those of you who have been to the park, have heard about the park, or who have plans to go to the park. I welcome feedback as a way to inspire everyone with great trip ideas.
Now then, I suppose I’ll tell you how I first came to appreciate national/regional/local parks [for the sake of brevity, I’ll use the term “nature park(s)” interchangeably].
As far as I can remember, I first learned about these parks from watching Hanna Barbera’s Yogi Bear cartoon show. Jellystone Park seemed like a great place to have fun with Yogi, Boo Boo and Ranger Smith. Another early memory is of watching the Disney cartoon shorts of bumbling Humphrey the Bear and Ranger Woodlore in Brownstone Park.
Like many families, mine went on vacations and weekend trips to these nature parks to marvel at the natural beauty of our nation. I would pretend I was Laura Ingalls Wilder playing in the Big Woods, looking around at the plants and animals we didn’t have back home in the suburbs.
This brings me to an important point: nature parks are significant because they maintain a connection with the past for the sake of future generations. With all this “green” talk about conservation and sustainability, each of us needs to see firsthand what the land looked like centuries ago before people came and built homes and towns and roads. Children especially need to understand what it is people are working to preserve.
Nature parks make great vacation spots because there are so many of them. No matter where you live, there’s bound to be some sort of park relatively close to you. Oftentimes entrance fees are minimal and there are many things to see and do to interest everyone (even teenagers).
All in all, there’s no reason not to go! The main problem may be deciding which park to visit next. So grab a map and a notebook and join me next week when I start our blog journey with overviews of select California Gold Country state parks and Yellowstone National Park.
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isaacoomber
It’s truly an awesome idea.It provides knowledge about national parks which can be used in many ways.
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Oscar
Cool idea. We will be looking forward to your thoughts and information on the parks.
http://www.amazingparks.com
road=freedom
This is a GREAT idea! I don’t know how other’s feel, but I find the NPS sites very vague about camping facilities – are there showers, toilets, water, etc. In fact, it seems to me that they try to discourage RVers. So, I will be eagerly looking for your insights about the National Parks.
Ed Kola........
We are planning our first trip to Alaska and would like to hear about the State and/or National Parks and any do’s or don’t’s.
Thanks.
Ed
Caryn
My husband and I and 4 kids (age 12-21) are planning a trip from SC to San Francisco from mid-April to mid-May in our 32″ RV. We’d hate to miss out on any of the “must see” places along the route and would be grateful for any suggestions, tips or warnings from those of you who have gone before. We’re thinking on hitting such places as the Alamo, Petrified Forest/Painted Desert, Carlsbad Caverns, Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion NP, Hoover Dam, maybe a looksee at Vegas, Sequoia NP, Kings Canyon, don’t know about Yosemite. Thanks for any advice.
susan authement
Great idea. I live in upstate NY (near canadian border and Lake onterio). The park system in NY is wonderful. I have been to several national parks and just made resv. for 4 more this summer. So far i can recommend the following in NYS :
Cranberry Lake state forest and campground (adirondacks, lakefront, very rustic and wild) Here we saw numberous wildlife and heard elk bugeling at night, it is a woodland setting and rustic like i said earlier. a wonderful adirondack lake that while providing fishing and swimming is not over developed and appears in most areas as wild. Scenic beauty at its best. I have a 30 foot 5th wheel and have no problems. Most sites are back in .
Southwick Beach state park Near Henderson NY. This campground is great, the beach is FANTASTIC. It is bordered by 3 miles of wildlife management area and sand dune preserve . They offer waterfront sites and wooded non water sites. They can accomidate larger sized vehicles down to tents. THey have shower house and water and elec sites as well as more rustic sites. The white sand beaches and summer breezes seem go on forever. Nature hiking trails and various other nature themed activities. When we were there in june the turtles had laid their eggs in the sand along the pavement and walkways. Very nice modern beach facilities. Not rustic but very beautiful Lake Onterio scenery.
Otter creek State forest and trail system (near loweville NY) This is not a normal campground. IT IS FOR HORSEBACK RIDING/ CAMPING ONLY. You must have a horse to camp here. This place is great for horse enthusists. IT has campsites and slip stalls for camping overnight and riding in the NYS forest. Cant say enough good things about it. The best thing is it is FREE. You can park your camper and or horse trailer at the campsites that come with fire rings and picnic tables and are located near slip stalls for the horses. THere are 63 miles of marked trails that vary from gravel roads to single file trails through the woods. The trails vary from easy to more rugged and demanding. Lots of river crossings and wildlife. Very wild and rustic. The campsites are first come first serve but there is a overflow area where you can camp with your trailer if the campsites are full. Cell phone service is poor in this area.
Gracie
Also, I would suggest getting one of the Natioanl Parks Stamp Books. They have a list by region of all the Natl parks, monuments and etc governed by the NPS. This has help us beyond measure finding the parks in the regions and getting the parks stamps when we go in to get the park maps. This is a very useful tool to have in your procession – I would not travel without it. You get them at the National Park Visitor Centers – they are invaluable.
Gracie
Gracie
This past summer we went to Big Bend Natl Park in Texas. This is a bit out of the way – but – oh so worth the trip to visit. We were just driving – didn’t take our 5th wheel – so coming and going was a bit more drivable for us. We spent 3 days there – Just one thing about Big Bend – at one of the campgrounds – if you have a big rig – you have to be escorted in – because of the narrow roads – check this out before heading into the park. But, this park is a “DO NOT MISS” place if you are in Tx. Also, visited White Sands in N.M. This is a lovely place – not to be missed!!!!, Good luck traveling and don’t forget the “Parks Less Visited”. They are special. !!!
Gracie
Sybil S. Byrnes
Great idea! Be sure to add Topsail Preserve Gregory E. Moore RV Park to your list. It’s ia FL state park in the panhandle at Santa Rosa Beach near Fort Walton/Destin. The state park bought up the RV Resort and it is now attached to Topsail Preserve. $38 a night with full hookups (including 50 amps and sewer at each site!). It’s beautiful but fills up fast!
I, too, have a blog on our RV travels (see above)…..we’re somewhat new at this!
RV Bob
This will help us plan our trips. Were getting ready to retire shortly and would love to know about all the different parks before we travel there.
Thanks Bob
sharon
This is a great idea and will be beneficial to anyone interested. I am about to caravan from TX to the Carolina Outerbanks and have a tenative itinerary, but would like all input available. I am a full timer, but up to this point, I have not stayed in many state or national parks, and planning for this trip to be different.
Mike
Looks cool! There’s lots of information to be had.
Dolly Nasby
This is not so much to speak my mind, as to ask advice. I will be driving to Alaska from the outside D.C. and am looking for any advice any one can give me on places to stop, things to do, things to see, etc. I’ll be leave the east coast around May 24 and will get back home before the end of August. Thanks very much for any thoughts you have.
jmg
Looking forward to this blog.
Dan Bailey
Planning about a 4 month trip for this summer from FL across the southern tier of states to CA, up to WA, east across northern tier to Chicago, then back to FL. Trip’s purpose is to visit many parks–national and state.
I anticipate that many people would have info on this park or that along our route, and look forward to getting some of that first-hand advice.
Gracie
I am really excited about this new goal of yours. My husband and I visit the national parks on every trip. This past summer we visited some of the “less traveled national parks” out west. Please don’t pass these small parks up when traveling. They were so special, and there was no one at these parks so we really enjoyed them so much.
and for the person that wanted to know about the national parks camping books, If I recall correctly, NPS puts out a camping book. They will also send you a booklet listing “the parks less traveled”. I think if you go to the NPS website you might be able to request them there. If I remember correctly, I got them sent to me via the website.
GOOD LUCK to all.
Gracie
John Dow
Leann
Thanks for the info, We are booked in for July as we will be down for the Snoopy Hockey Tournament
Thanks
John
Shelia Whitten
Great idea. Just started “fulltiming” in a 40 ft. 4 slide motorhome. Would like to see information about national parks that have facilites that I can park my rig in easily. Now in south Texas, Alpine and the Ft. Davis National Park has pull throughs for our size of rigs. I would like to see more of these with a blog or book to check out locations as one makes plans to travel in various areas.
Leann Cotton
To John who is interested in Spring Lake County Regional Park in Santa Rosa, CA.
I am very familiar with Spring Lake as I use to take my Girl Scout troop there for camping every yr. The campground is old but in a grove of trees, no hookups, but they do have bathrooms, dump station, etc. The small lake is the big attraction with lots of swimming available with lifeguards. Middle of summer it can get very busy. Annadel park is adjacent to Spring Lake with great mountain biking and hiking. There is a nice paved trail around the lake and overall the place is great for families.
For summer use, better get reservations for camping as this is a very popular place for day use as well as overnight stays.
If the heat gets to you, another great park is the County regional park out in Bodega Bay right next to the ocean with great views.
This blog is a great idea! We have been RV full timing for over eight yrs, mainly on the West side of US, but this spring plan on going East, so info on nature parks would be greatly appreciated. Someone mentioned Lassen Nat Park, wonderful less crowded national park, kind of like a miniature Yellowstone. In the middle of summer we would love to go there to get out of the heat and go hiking. Excellent ranger programs, our granddaughter fell in love with the place and has room for big rigs in the camping area. No hookups of course, but some of the camping sites have some fantastic views overlooking the canyon.
Since we are from CA. and do so much camping we have found that if you want a camping spot in any of the national parks in Ca during the summer, you had better have reservations (esp. in July and Aug). If anyone has specific questions about certain parks in Ca. don’t hesitate to ask me.
Sandie Dixon
Christina – great idea – are you going to cover all parks (state and county) or just Federal Parks.
If you want info about state parks – we found a fantastic park at Quail Creek Reservoir in southern Utah. They have 23 RV sites and can handle RVs up to 35 feet. It’s a beautiful desert park with the lake surronded by red sandstone cliffs. It’s close to Zion National Park and if you like to explore historic sites – Silver Reef was a neat little mining ghost town.
Sandie
Charlie Brodeur
I love it!! We are planning to leave Florida to make a Western swing (Calif,Wash and east to New England) starting in May. We hope to use many state parks and Nat. Parks but have also observed the lmitations for larger rv’s. We’ll be watching with interest for any and all info. Thanks. cb
Alden Guillory
Assuming you have permission to park overnight – should you ask permission to open slides as well … or must slides remain closed??
Thanks
John Carmical
Good blog idea. We have been using California State Parks for the last couple of years. With a 36′ Montana, it is not easy. I have had a few narrow misses. It would be good to know of places available for the larger units.
Harry Gudell
Well Christina, I certainly agree with all the comments from those above me.
And will be looking forward to your ” Nature Park ” Blogs. Thank you for your time and all the great info. But seriously now , are you telling me that there is no Jellystone Park ? Aw, say it isn’t so. That has always been my main driving force
in looking forward to retirement and RV’ing through the states in search of Yogi and Boo Boo. I’m still gonna hunt for them, they gotta be out there somewhere.
Thanks again !
Bob
Great Idea!! We will be looking for your Blog and saving the information of National Parks that we would like to visit. I must say I’m looking forward to a Blog that will be benefical to us R.V.ers.
BARRY ENGLEMAN
Once more – Great Idea!! I will be saving the information also. I have been fiddling around with a Blog that includes a short description of places we have visited in natural parks and a slide show of pictures to go with those descriptions so people can get a glimpse of what they will see if they go there. I like the slide show idea because a person can see a lot of pictures in a short amount of time. We love to find the out-of-the-way places in natural parks. Anyway, I am looking forward to your new Blog.
Irv Stark
Hey, this is a great idea! We have visited most of the National Parks from the Rockies west, but not all. Look forward to reading your blog and sharing when I can.
Connie
Great idea. I have been searching for a book on camping at Federal parks. Can find ones about the parks, but not about camping. connie
Sandy
I think the idea is great. The more information we get, the better. Many times the websites don’t give you the information you are looking for. Hopefully you will. By the way it will be nice if you could attach some pictures whith your blog. Thanks from one happy camper.
GlenO
Great Idea! Should be most beneficial to all perspecitve RV travels. Another thought to add would be the Federal Corp of Engineer Lakes which have RV facilities. These by all means in the South add some great camping facilities around some beautiful water shed lakes.
Mike Hammer
Should be a lot of interest as we see a lot of campers in the state parks in Mississippi. We stay at Roosevelt State Park in Ms. a lot and they have nature trails, fishing and a lot of full hooks. We have seen some larger trailers and motorhomes
but some of the sites a little tight for them. We have a 30 ft. trailer and have plenty of room.
Charles Woodrow
This is a great idea for a blog. We recently spent time at Custer State Park in South Dakota. It is a really great place with lots of bison and other wildlife as well as great scenery. Good camping too in each of several campgrounds with varying amenities.
Janjunebug
I think it’s a wonderful idea! I’ll be looking forward to your blog.
SpinDig
Cool idea. We will be looking forward to your thoughts and information on the parks.
John Dow
I think this is a great idea. As Martha said above I plan on keeping the info in a folder for future reference. Last summer we spent a week at a provincial park in Osoyoos B.C, at Haynes Point and enjoyed our stay. This summer we are exploring the idea of staying at Spring Lake a Sonoma County Regional Park close to Santa Rosa Ca. any info on Spring Lake would be great.
bob
Some thigg to add about your blog on the Parks should be also What size Limits for the RV. A lot of the California State parks wont let over about 30 feet in. I stay at some that say 27-30 and with a 35 they still fit just not as many sites in a park that will work. State parks are the best I have ever seen in Oregon state. Looking forward to this. bob
Martha Federle
I think this is a wonderful idea, and I plan to save them in a separate folder for future reference. I will be workamping at Lassen Volcanic National Park this summer, and Fort Pulaski National Monument next winter, so I am definitely interested in the national parks.
gypsy